Nina Tucker/2003 Anime
(2003 Anime)}} In the 2003 anime, Nina's role is expanded somewhat as the story is changed. Rather than visiting the Tuckers to study bio-alchemy, the Elrics stay with Shou and Nina for several months during the series' flashback while they prepare for the State Alchemy Exam. Her Role in the Story During this time, Nina shares multiple adventures with the boys, including the delivery of Maes Hughes' daughter Elicia and accompanying the Elrics to Ed's Alchemy Exam. Following his exam, Ed attempts to write to Winry Rockbell to tell her the good news but Nina and Al intrude on him and tease him about her. Nonetheless, this inspires Nina to write to her mother whom she believes to be living with her own parents. Nina falls asleep while writing her letter and her father discovers the letter while carrying her to her bed. Ed later discovers Nina's letter partially incinerated while preparing to take Alexander for a walk and his subsequent attempts to gain access to Nina's father's research results in Brigadier General Basque Grand having him and Al removed from Nina's home as Grand had been privy to her father's secret experiments. This leaves Nina distraught and lonely so she goes to see her father who embraces her one last time before transmuting her. After Nina is transmuted into a chimera, Grand who knew the truth about her mother, collects her in order to study her and create chimera soldiers from her father's research. Edward manages to help Nina escape from custody, and calls out to her but she flees into an alley where she encounters Scar. Realizing what Nina has become and the pain she is in, Scar recites a prayer as he uses his alchemical tattoo to ultimately deconstruct her before Edward can catch up. Rather than dying more-or-less peacefully in her home, as in the manga, the 2003 anime has Nina completely blown apart, with almost nothing remaining of her but large bloodstains on the walls and street. Upon discovering Nina's remains, Alphonse quickly deduces what has happened to her. A horrified Edward apologizes to the girl he had grown to love as a sister and mourns for her, becoming conflicted over whether or not to become part of a system steeped in such horrors and to his chagrin, he and Alphonse are tasked with going through Nina's father's research. At first, Ed thought Barry the Chopper killed Nina, since his murder spree was coincidentally occurring around the time of her death and set out to find him only to be captured and threatened by him, causing the memories of Nina as a chimera and her demise to flash through Ed's mind and he tearfully laments how he was unable to save her after he is rescued by Alphonse. Three years later, Ed is reminded of Nina and her father when Tim Marcoh is taken into custody and soon after this, the Elrics survive several attacks from Scar and Hughes later informs Ed that Scar is Nina's killer. Ed finally confronts Scar for killing Nina in Episode 40 when they fight each other in Ishval. Starting in Episode 21, it is revealed that Tucker has survived in custody as Ed discovers while infiltrating Laboratory 5. Upon meeting Tucker again, all of Ed's memories of Nina flash through his mind as he expresses his continuing bitterness towards Tucker for what he did to his daughter. By this time, Tucker has made attempts to revive Nina by using her remains to clone her a body and filtering out the contamination from Alexander's DNA by siphoning it into his own body and becoming a grotesque Human Chimera himself. Ed is initially horrified at this and warns Tucker that whatever he creates will not be the real Nina. Since Tucker's will is not strong enough to call back Nina's soul or even create a new soul for her, he is only able to create a lifeless Nina doll, even after using the Philosopher's Stone contained within Alphonse's armor. Nonetheless, Tucker continues trying to find a way of reviving Nina as her lifeless doll form is last seen in his arms while he makes sketchy blueprints on a wall. Several scenes depicting Nina with the Elrics and/or Alexander appear in the end credits of Episode 7. In the end credits of Episodes 42-50, Nina appears as part of a brief montage of deceased characters whom the Elrics had grown close to which also includes their mother, Scar and Maes Hughes. Conqueror of Shamballa Nina appears twice in the opening credits, first as a human, then as a chimera. Site Navigation Category:2003 anime Characters